ICPC Probe: I’m Not Ezekwesili’s Aide – Chiahemen

Mr. Tom Chiahemen, the Advert Consultant for the Federal Ministry of Education during the tenure of Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesili, yesterday denied he was an aide to the minister.

Ezekwesili, who had been under attack from the Presidency since she claimed that the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and the incumbent, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, squandered the $67 billion left in foreign reserves and the Excess Crude Account, Chiahemen insisted that he only served as consultant to the ministry.

Chiahemen, who is being investigated by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over some alleged impropriety in the placements of adverts when he was consultant to the ministry, has also denied that he was never an aide to Ezekwesili.

He said that he only acted as a consultant to the ministry and didn’t have direct dealings with Ezekwesili. In a chat with our correspondent, Chiahemen has also come out to speak in defence of the former minister.

“I find it necessary to clarify that first, I was never an aide to the former Minister of Education and I had no personal business transactions with the Federal Ministry of Education during her tenure as minister. Rather, Cattigan Communications Limited, a Media & Publicity consulting firm in which I had interest, was appointed to handle advertisements placing on behalf of the ministry between August 2006 and May 2007,” Chiahemen affirmed.